Back to Randomness

   Just three months ago, I posted random pictures from my last trip to Kenya. That post revolved around the sites out in Maasailand, in and around the village where our nonprofit, Tumaini Volunteers, hopes to fund a community center for the local Maasai women. Today, I am winding down on that trip, sharing randomness from other aspects of the trip.

   This is the second picture I took after we arrived in Kenya. Here’s the problem with having been there five times – I don’t jump off the plane snapping pictures like I used to. I was actually in Africa probably 16 or 18 hours before I got out the camera. I mostly took this picture because I knew I wouldn’t be going on safari so this was the only rhino I might see.

   One of the only monkeys I saw.

   Since the next project we want to work on is to help build a community center, we visited a gift shop and café run by a woman’s group in Nairobi. I didn’t even take any pictures of the inside of the store – my son did but I can’t put my fingers on them right now. The lunch we had at the café, truthfully, was to die for. Can’t believe I didn’t get a picture of it. (Oh, boy, but I did get lots of pictures of other food. I may have to blog about that next.)

   The front yard/driveway of the volunteer house where we stay. Two of the American volunteers who were there are out washing their clothes.

   The backyard of the house has some chickens.

   And rabbits.

   Skyscape from just down the road from the house. Downtown Nairobi in the far back left. Someone just asked me again yesterday what it was like where we stay in Kenya. So many people imagine it is all about being in the Bush and wilderness, with no running water or electricity. Nairobi, however, is a major city just like anywhere else in the world, with a business district filled with skyscrapers, busy city streets, ATMs.

   The volunteer house where we stay is in the neighborhood of Kidfarmaco. Here Nick is outside the gate of the house, waiting to be let in. One of the major differences between there and here is that most homes or apartment buildings are enclosed by a fence and secured behind a locked gate. Those who live inside might each have a key to the gate, but more often, someone inside lets you in when you knock on the door or honk your car horn. 

   When I was there in 2015, staying at a different volunteer house, someone drove up to the gate, asking for me. The doorman would not let them in. The visitor had to call me on my cellphone so I could come down to the gate to okay them.

   Once again, I’m reminded of lots more stories from my many trips, but I will close for now, as all those stories start bouncing around in my mind for next time.